I know everyone says that having two different tires isn't good on the same car.

I just got the Michelin on my TL, which replaced a blown out turanza.

The dealer wouldn't rotate my tires for free, they were charging me to do that, even though I bought a tire from them. So to save money, I decided to just let them mount the new michelin on the front with the turanza on the other side.

What is so bad about doing something like this? The car drives really nicely, so I'm curious as to why everyone says its bad to have two diff tires on the same side.

And what do u guys think about the dealer not rotating my tires for free to put the new michelin on the back and have the two crapanzas on the front?

 

2 different sets of tires are OK for the car, as long as the same tires are installed on the same axle. So you can have 2 brand A tires on the front axle and 2 brand B tires on the rear.

The new ones should always be installed on the rear axle. This is suggested by many tire manufacturers.

So, you can put the new michelins in the back, and the crapanzas in the front. Totally OK.

 

thanks 260HP - but, the question still remains. Why?

Why can't brand A be on the same axle as brand B? What damage does it cause to have that? I have always been told its "bad" - but never given a valid explanation as to why.

really curious to get an answer on this, thanks bud!

 

The most important cause is, each tire has different characteristics in term of grip (dry or wet, sand, asphalt, gravel, etc). Due to different amount of grip at any given time, your car might handle unpredictably, esp when you're at high speed and have to turn, stop, etc.

Each tire model also has its own treadwear (meaning different compound hardness), dimension, weight, rolling resistance, sidewall flex, etc that differs from other models.

If we go a little deeper, each tire of the same size, can have different actual size.

For example, I had a 00 Accord V6, lowered with H&R Sport, running 225/40 R18 Pirelli P7000 SuperSport, mounted on RH Evo 18x7.5 with 42 offset. The rear tires rub and I shaved a small portion of the rear bumper lip and mounting point to clear the rubbing. When the Pirellis were worn out, I bought a set of Kumho Ecsta ASX of the same size. When the UPS driver dropped them off on my driveway, I immediately could tell that the Kumhos are slightly larger in size. They're wider and taller. Sure enough, when the Kumhos were mounted, they rubbed like crazy.

I hope this answers your question.

 

actually imo you should put the new tires on the front. if your car were rwd, then the back would be fine. you want to put the newer tire where the grip is. as for two different brands. in situations like yours, there is not much you can do; here is why i wouldn't. say you have two brand a tires on the front and two brand b on the rear. if you decide to take a turn you have tires in the front that handle a certain way and have specific limits in all conditions rain, snow, cornering, temp. you also have two in the rear with different characteristics. even if the have the same temp, treadwear and tire life markings they are still different from brand to brand. i would avoid it if at all possible, but whatever you do.....stay the f... away from the turanzas!!!!

 

It doesn't matter if your car is AWD, RWD, or FWD, the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle. The worn tires are more prone to lose traction. When you're at the low traction situation (sand or oil on the roadway, rain, etc), the worn out tires will lose traction first. This is more apparent when you're turning and hit the brakes. When the front end loses traction first (because of the more worn tires), the car will understeer. For average driver, understeer is easier to correct.

On the other hand, if the rear end loses traction first, the car will fishtail. This is much harder situation to correct for average Joes (and Janes). So, take your pick.....

 

thanks for your feedback guys, I appreciate it tremendously!!

Here's my two cents....

I am driving with my old turanzas (the most worn out pair) on the REAR. On the front, I have my new michelin on the driver's side and the newest turanza on the passenger's side.

This turanza on the front has about 6-7K miles on it. The other turanzas on the back have about 18K miles on them.

The michelin is obviously brand new.

So I am driving with a new michelin, a fairly new turanza on the front. And two old turanzas on the back.

The car feels really good, I dunno if its because of the new michelin, but I am enjoying it much more than I was before I blew my driver's side turanza.

So everything considered, I don't think I'm causing any damage to my car/alignment. You guys are saying its more of a safety thing huh?

 

It's for safety, yes. I don't think it's going to damage your car.

Some questions though: why didn't you just get another Turanza? Why did you buy the new tire from the dealer? It's more expensive from them, isn't it?

When I was young, poor, and dumb, I had the same situation on different cars, 3 old tire and 1 new different tire. IMO, all the cars drove like crap. Because of the different tires, it wouldn't even drive straight.

 

imo, i would fork out the money for another michellin. eventuall having four of them if money permits. your not causing any damage. just don't get to confident with the spirited driving. it's at each tires limits that the weakest one will fail first. the turanzas are just shit. i just got rid of mine. much better feel with the new ones.

 

exactly guys, i figured i would start getting rid of the turanzaz. the wallet is tight these days so i couldn't get another michelin. But I suspect I will be doing that shortly.

I think I definitely got ripped off though getting it from the dealer, they charged me 225 for the tire and the installation of it. I think I overpaid by 30-40 bucks, right?

It was convenient, so what the hay.

My goal is to get another michelin ASAP for the front...